It’s here! WikiConference USA

Wiki Education Foundation staff are proud to be presenting several presentations this weekend, and a host of others will be led by participants in our programs. We’ve selected just a few most relevant to higher education to share below!

Friday

You can watch the National Archive’s livestream from the McGowan Room on Friday here.

Wiki Education Foundation in a Flash is a fast-paced overview of Wiki Ed’s programs and initiatives. In just 30 minutes, you’ll have a quick overview of who we are and what we do. (More). 12:30 p.m., McGowan Theater.

College Writing with Wikipedia explores the benefits of teaching with Wikipedia, particularly in regards to college-level writing. Zach McDowell, an instructor at UMass-Amherst, will discuss getting started with Wikipedia in a classroom. (More). 3:30 p.m., Washington Room.

Teaching Research & Critical Thinking Skills Through Wikipedia will discuss how Wikipedia can be used to teach research and critical thinking skills. Chanitra Bishop, a librarian at Hunter College, will share several assignment ideas for students. (More). 4 p.m., McGowan Theater.

Wikifying Science Fiction’s “Grand Dame” Octavia E. Butler: The LaGuardia Community College WikiProject, led by Ximena Gallardo C., Professor of English, and Ann Matsuuchi, Instructional Technology Librarian/Associate Professor, will share their experiences working to improve science fiction articles on Wikipedia through writing assignments at LaGuardia Community College, CUNY. The talk will also explore ways to integrate librarians involved in information/digital literacy in the instructional process. (More). 4:00 p.m., Washington Room.

Making 2016 the Year of Science will explore an initiative to improve science content on Wikipedia by engaging institutions, editors, and academics in a focused, year-long editing campaign. The presentation is hosted by Andrew Lih, Ian Ramjohn, and Ryan McGrady. (More). 4:00 p.m., Jefferson Room.

Saturday

You can watch the National Archive’s livestream from the McGowan Room on Saturday here.

Working with Academic Experts in a Feminism Distributed Editing Project will present a project that taps the expertise of academics who specialize in feminist studies to develop a protocol for doing editing work in a distributed fashion. Rather than teaching academics to edit, the project asks them to analyze content gaps on Wikipedia in their areas of specialization, and makes suggestions that can then be taken up for future editors. This presentation is presented by Monika Sengul-Jones of UC San Diego and the University of Washington, and Sage Ross of the Wiki Education Foundation. (More). 12:15, McGowan Theater.

Addressing the Gender Gap: Wiki Edu Projects for Digital Humanities explores opportunities for academics to promote learning in the digital humanities and increase representation of marginalized topics and identities in Wikipedia. Matthew Vetter’s will share his experience using Wikipedia in courses at Ohio University. (More). 12:45 p.m., McGowan Theater.

Thinking (and Contributing) Outside the Editing Box: Alternative Ways to Engage Subject-Matter Experts asks, “How can we engage academics and other knowledge professionals in ways that allow them to contribute expertise without requiring them to edit articles directly?” Led by American University instructor Andrew Lih, and the Wiki Education Foundation’s Sage Ross and Ryan McGrady, the discussion will explore alternative contribution models for experts. (More). 2:15 p.m., Washington Room.

Times may change, so be sure to reference the WikiConference USA schedule for updates and the full list of talks, workshops, and keynotes.

The event is co-organized by the National Archives and Records Administration, the Wiki Education Foundation, Wikimedia District of Columbia, and Wikimedia New York City.